


After The Dust Has Settled

by GrowlingPeanut



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Morning After, Post-Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 01:14:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5355428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrowlingPeanut/pseuds/GrowlingPeanut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Defeating a Vault Monster and entering the Vault it guarded are typically once-in-a-lifetime events. However, Rhys and Fiona have a feeling that maybe their lives are going to be filled with these kinds of things. And they figure, living dangerously, that they should make the most of every second, considering any one could be their last. Thankfully, that's a lot easier to do when the person you're interested in also happens to feel the same way about you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After The Dust Has Settled

"So, Rhys, now that all that…” Vaughn stopped short as he crossed the threshold into Rhys’ room. “Uh...Rhys? What's...um...what's Fiona doing? In...your bed?" Vaughn squinted, making sure he was seeing everything correctly. And...yes, he was.

Rhys, looking smug (more smug than usual, Vaughn thought), merely glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and went back to fixing his disheveled hair. "It's not what she's _doing_ , Vaughn...." he laughed quietly and shook his head. "It's what she _did_..."

Vaughn's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between his friend and....his other friend. His friend who was currently asleep in his _best_ friend's tangled sheets. "You...." he couldn't seem to get more than one word out. He swallowed thickly as Rhys pulled on a shirt, finally forcing out a laugh. “Well...um, that would sure explain the noises—wow, really? You two actually...?" He tilted his head with a subtle click of his tongue, hoping that conveyed what he was currently trying to say.

"Yes...." Rhys answered slowly, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Surprised?”

“No, no...well...maybe a little?” Vaughn shrugged semi-helplessly. “I didn’t even know you two were...a thing. I mean, are you? You never really seemed to show any kind of...but I guess opening a Vault is a big deal, so if you were going to make any commitments... I’m not saying you _shouldn't_ have....but....it's...." Vaughn stopped himself and took a breath. "Does Sasha know?"

Rhys' expression morphed from passively amused to horrified in a heartbeat. "...shit."

"Cause...they _are_ sisters. And...she'd probably want to know if Fiona's going to be..." Vaughn motioned to the bed vaguely. He still couldn't say it, for whatever reason.

Rhys slumped with a sigh. “Yeah...you’re right. But...she’d do better hearing it from Fi…” he glanced back at the bed. “You know what? I’m...just gonna take a shower and let her sleep and hope that I don’t have to say anything. Sound good? Sounds good.”

He almost managed to brush past, but Vaughn stopped him before he could make it through the doorway. “Hang on. I’m not gonna just let this go, either. Is this all...pretty new, or...did you two have some kind of thing going without the rest of us knowing?”

“We…” Rhys cracked his knuckles. “There’s always been some...uh...tension? I guess we just figured, hell, we’d come this far, why not...go all in, you know? And, um...we did—well, I did. Went all in—and...I’m gonna shut up.”

“Yeah...that’s probably good,” Vaughn muttered, allowing Rhys to pass him. “But hey. I’m actually really happy for you, man. You and Fiona...well, I’ve always kinda thought you two would be good together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It just seemed to...work. The more time I spent with Fiona, the more she reminded me of you.” Vaughn shrugged again. “And...well, the fact that you two argued like an old married couple certainly helped.”

Rhys rolled his eyes, but couldn’t fight a smile. “I’ll be in the shower if you need me.”

**************************

Fiona woke up feeling warm. And...a little sore. She blinked a few times, turning toward the other side of the bed, fully expecting to see— She frowned and sat up slowly. He wasn’t there. She looked around the room. Their clothes from the night before lay strewn haphazardly across the floor and over furniture, and her hat was perched delicately on the end of a bedpost. He must have picked it up off the floor that morning. “How sweet,” she murmured, stretching and sliding out of the bed.

Wow, it had been a long time since she’d...spent the night with anyone. It had been...well, to say “unexpected” wasn’t really right. They’d both been able to tell that _whatever_ it was between them was only getting stronger and harder to ignore as the days passed. Opening the Vault had apparently been the tipping point. Or maybe it had been almost dying. Or maybe it had been when he subtly confirmed that he’d been thinking about her the whole time. Maybe it was a combination of the three. Everything had come together so quickly that it was hard not to get caught up in the rush of adrenaline.

Standing in the aftermath, beside him...it seemed right. They’d already been through so much...why stop there? So as the day turned to dusk and the last of the color left the sky to make room for the stars, she resolved that she wouldn't try to fight it. Her entire life had been built around taking each situation as it came, and adapting to make it work. This was no different.

Still, she'd put up a characteristic (if minimal) amount of resistance as they'd talked about the future, taking good-natured jabs at him whenever the opportunities presented themselves. She knew he'd been chipping away at her willpower since they'd first met, and she wasn't sure she could hold out through one more sly sideways glance or confident smirk.

And when their collective restraint finally crumbled and she found herself following him through the halls of the fallen space station, back to the room he'd claimed, she didn't even mind. She hadn’t protested when he'd shut the door or gently pushed her back against the wall and pressed his lips against her own. And she’d let go of the act altogether by the time the first piece of clothing hit the floor.

Shaking her head with a smile, she wandered across the room toward the dresser, picking up stray articles of clothing as she went. At least she could make things look a little more presentable if someone decided to come in. Before she could get dressed or glance in the mirror, though, a slip of obnoxious yellow paper caught her eye. Hyperion stationary. Of course. Tossing the clothes into a nearby chair, she picked up the note.

 _Mornin, Fi. I’m in the shower. Whether or not this is an invitation is up to you._  
_-Rhys_

Fiona immediately felt her face turn at least three shades of red. How could that bastard be so charming on paper and make a complete ass of himself when he spoke? Gritting her teeth, she crumpled the paper, then grabbed the first shirt she could find and threw it on. Damn him.

The base was strangely quiet, which she was actually grateful for. The fewer people to see her scampering down the hall toward the showers, wearing one of Rhys’ shirts—and nothing else—the better. She rounded the corner and crept into the big washroom as quietly as she could—not that he could hear her over the water anyway. Luckily, it seemed that they were the only two people there at the moment. 

She shrugged off the shirt as she approached the only occupied shower, and hesitated just slightly before tapping on the wall. “This is the address on the invitation, right?”

Rhys responded by poking his head out and flashing her the stupidest grin she’d ever seen. “Thought you’d get a kick outta that.”

She just rolled her eyes and pushed him aside so she could step in. “You’re an idiot,” she finally muttered, reaching around him to grab the bottle of soap. _An idiot that looks great with wet hair._

He feigned insult with an exaggerated pout. “What happened to all that sweet talk I heard last night…?”

“Oh, there’s plenty more where it came from, you just don’t deserve it right now. I shouldn’t have had to run here in one of your shirts this morning. That’s trampy.”

Rhys scoffed. “Well, what were you expec—wait, you...wore one of my shirts?”

“You _should_ have been sitting in bed with some coffee for me, like a gentleman. And yes. I did. It was huge.”

“I’m tall,” he mumbled, snatching the soap back from her. “Besides, I’m not the only one who screwed up, here. At least Vaughn knows now. _You_ still have to ‘fess up to Sasha.”

Fiona’s stomach dropped. She did, didn’t she? And given the way Sasha seemed to feel… Well, she’d figure something out. She always did.

Her face must have revealed her thoughts, since Rhys chuckled. “Yeah...have fun with that.”

She just sighed and focused on washing her hair. “So how’d Vaughn find out?”

“He walked in a few minutes after I got out of bed,” Rhys answered with a slight shrug. “Saw you, and since I was cornered and it’s _my room_ , I...didn’t have too many options. But he took it well. Said he’s happy for us and that we make a good couple.”

“Why did everyone seem to think we’d end up together?” she grumbled. “Was it obvious somehow?”

Rhys smirked at her. “Oh, come on. Even we knew. We were just in denial.”

She glared up at him, about to retort, but the sound of approaching footsteps stopped her.

“Fi?” _...Sasha._

Fiona stole a glance at Rhys, who had frozen where he stood, eyebrows high, hands tense. He'd apparently retained enough of his wit to mouth, _"Speak of the devil..."_

She resisted the urge to smack him. "Yeah, need something, Sash?"

“No, not really. Just...wondering how your night went…”

Fiona swallowed. That sounded like a trap. “Oh...I, uh...slept pretty hard. You know, all that fighting and Vault...opening…” She dared another glance at Rhys and was pleased to see that her comment had provoked a rather furious blush.

“Yeah...I bet you and Rhys were both pretty worn out. It was...quite the day.”

“Mmhm. Yes it was. So, um, how about you? Sleep alright?”

“Uh huh. Mostly. I kept waking up though...sounded like Rhys must have been kicking the wall or something.”

“Yeah, he, uh…” Fiona could feel her ears getting warm and wondered if it was even worth it to keep up the charade. Sasha apparently knew, or at least suspected, _something_ … “Look...um...okay, I have to be honest—”

“It’s fine, Fiona. I know what happened.”

“I….figured.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t—”

“Didn’t what? Tell me? Really, sis, it’s okay. It’s not like you need my permission or anything. We’re all adults, here.”

“I know, but...I thought you—”

“I...he’s a great guy. And we’re friends. But that’s it. He’s always had his eye on you, we all knew it. Anything that happened between me and him is...I guess I was reading too far into it.” She let out a short laugh. “Wouldn’t matter much now, anyway. He’s obviously made his choice.”

Fiona studied her toes. “You sure you’re okay with it?”

“Of course I am. Don’t be ridiculous, Fi. You deserve this. Besides, I could never really see myself ending up with a business guy anyway. I’m sure you two will make lots of money together. Me? I’m happy as long as August keeps letting me use his guns.”

“Oh, _that’s_ what you’re calling it…?” Fiona playfully raised an eyebrow, even though her sister couldn’t see the gesture.

Sasha snorted. “Shut up. We’re...trying to start over.” A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment before Sasha sighed. “Well, Vaughn’s called a meeting for everyone in the executive breakroom, so...come join us when you’re done. Oh, and Rhys? Don’t think that I’ll leave you alone just because I’m okay with this. You take care of my sister or you’ll have that stun baton shoved up your ass.”

Beside her, Rhys let out a scandalized yelp. "How'd you know I was in here?!"

"Really? Your clothes are right here.”

“Oh...yeah, I guess they are…”

“And after seeing what a mess your room was, I figured you’d want to clean yourself up a little. You should definitely wash those sheets, too.”

Rhys just stood there, face red, mouth open, while Sasha's footsteps faded out the way they'd come.

Before she walked out of earshot, however, she called back, "And I meant what I said about the stun baton!"

************************

“Don’t think too much, you might hurt yourself,” Fiona muttered from beside him.

He stuck out his tongue, but didn’t tear his eyes away from the dark sky. “I was actually admiring Pandora’s ability to make the stars look so good.”

“Better than out there in space?”

“So much better.”

Rhys felt Fiona shift closer, leaning against his arm. Finally looking away from the sky, he reached out and draped his arm over her shoulders. She turned to face him with a small smile that he couldn’t help but return.

“You know, you aren’t so bad, Hyperion,” she joked, resting her head on his shoulder. “Or should I say… _Atlas._ ”

“You’re not so bad, either. You know, for a Pandoran criminal. Or would you rather be called a Vault Hunter now?” She didn’t offer any reply, just allowed a small smile. That alone was enough to tie a knot in Rhys’ stomach and he gave her arm a light squeeze. “You know, you never told me how you got that scar.” He ghosted his left thumb over the little nick in her eyebrow.

She groaned and shook her head. “You _really_ want to know?”

“Would...I be asking if I didn’t?”

“Okay, okay.” She shut her eyes and took a breath. “I got it when I was seven. I was chasing Sasha around and...I smacked a table.”

“With your face?”

“With my face. Right on the corner.”

Rhys winced. “Not as dramatic as I was hoping, but...ouch.”

“I’m pretty sure it was bleeding for hours after it happened.” She shrugged. “But hey, at least it looks pretty badass, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. And it could have been a lot worse. I mean, you could have gouged out your eye. Trust me, that shit _hurts_. Hurts like hell. Not that I regret it. Getting rid of Jack and all that. More than worth it.”

“I still can’t believe you did that,” Fiona quipped softly. “The Rhys I met a year ago wouldn’t have _willingly_ torn out his own cybernetics. For anything.”

“Yeah...well, I learned a lot about myself after I came down here. More than I ever thought I could.”

“You’ve taught me a lot, too.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “Before I met you, I thought I knew everything there was to know about people. How they lived, how they thought. And then...you showed up.” She looked down at her hands. “You in your stupid suit with your stupid hair and your stupid habit of thinking you had everything under control when you clearly _didn’t_.” She picked at her fingernails absently. “And for some reason, you threw me for a loop. I’d learned how to talk anyone into doing anything, but when I talked to you, it all came out wrong. Nothing worked on you. You’d just...shout insults back, or fight my sarcasm with some of your own. It was annoying.”

“Well, thanks—”

“Hey, hey, I’m not done yet.” She swatted his knee. “But it was also fun. You were the biggest challenge I’d had in years. You just wouldn’t give up when any other corporate dumbass would have left Pandora in a heartbeat, with or without their money. And then...well, after the money wasn’t an issue, you still stuck around. I couldn’t figure out why. At first, I just thought it was for the Vault. But—”

He placed a finger over her lips. “I get it. You’re happy you finally have friends.”

“God, you’re an asshole.” He laughed as she sat up and turned toward him. “Rhys, I’m serious. Will you just hear me out?”

He heaved a dramatic sigh, but humored her nonetheless. “Of course. Who am I to interrupt your monologue?”

“It’s not a monologue.”

“Feels like one.”

“I just…” she shut her eyes for a second and took a breath. “I guess I’m trying to say thank you. For...being different. For not being what I expected you to be.” She lapsed into silence once again, leaving Rhys to think about what she’d said.

He agreed with her. He’d had a set of (very negative) expectations the moment he’d set out for Pandora in Vasquez’s car, with Vaughn and ten million bucks. Any hiccups they’d faced during the deal had fit cleanly into his assumptions about Pandora and its people. But...along the way, something changed. It changed early on. It had been the thing that compelled him to hang up on Vasquez. The thing that had quietly told him to trust Fiona while Jack screamed in the back of his head. Some little switch went off in his brain that made him willing to fight and peel off faces and even tear out his own cybernetics—and all for...what?

He glanced over at Fiona. The breeze ruffled her hair, prompting her to reach up and tuck the longer strands behind her ear. Swallowing a sudden lump in his throat, he pulled her closer again. “So...hypothetically—” he could feel her turning to look up at him. “If this you-and-me-thing ends up being...long term...would you want to stay here? On Pandora?”

She hummed thoughtfully for a second before shrugging and turning her attention back to the stars.

“Cause, I know you promised Sasha that you guys would go out and explore the galaxy…”

“Yeah, I did.”

“So?”

“You know, Rhys...I think I’d be alright with wherever you wanted to be.”

He laughed. “That’s really cute of….oh, you—you’re serious? Oh. Damn. Okay… That means I have to...uh, alright.” He bit his lip. “...how about…Eden Four?”

She looked over, eyebrow raised. “Eden Four?”

“Yeah...it’s, uh...it’s where I’m from. I mean...I’ve seen Pandora...I could...show you where I was born.”

She was quiet for a second, then leaned in with a smile, pressing a very faint kiss to his jaw. “Like I said, anywhere you want is fine with me.”


End file.
